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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27811906">Inbetweening</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/InksandPens/pseuds/InksandPens'>InksandPens</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Animator vs. Animation (Short Film 2006)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Gladiators, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Past Character Death, Purple makes minecraft villager noises, end stick slavery, sorta - Freeform, they're still digital stickfigures</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 17:14:20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,103</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27811906</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/InksandPens/pseuds/InksandPens</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Inbetweening is the process of creating transitional frames between two separate objects in order to show the appearance of movement and evolution of the first object into the second object. It is a common technique used in many types of animation. - Techopedia</p>
<p>Orange had already known where Purple came from. After returning from his rescue mission, he learns how Purple got to where they are now.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>27</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Inbetweening</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Context, yay: In this universe, Purple was originally created as gladiatorial entertainment for perusers of an unethical stickfighting webpage. And they weren't one of the champions, they were target practice. </p>
<p>They escaped, somehow, and a long time later, when an acquaintance of Orange is suspected to have been captured by a similar site, Purple advises him on how to mount a rescue. It requires Orange becoming a combatant himself for a while, and he...sees some things. And is required to do some things. </p>
<p>Orange, now having briefly been a gladiatorial champion, may be looking at Purple a little differently. Or finding it difficult to look at them at all.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Alright, what’s the deal here? You haven’t looked me in the eye since you got back.”</p>
<p>Orange halted mid-swing, before slumping his head into the cave wall, pickaxe clattering to the floor in admonition.</p>
<p>“Do you think I’m gonna judge you, or something?” Purple continued. “That I’m gonna, what, hate you for whatever you had to do in there? Because in case you’ve forgotten, I’ve literally <em>been</em> in that situation before. I know exactly what kind of extreme measures a stick is <em>forced</em> into taking, just to survive to another day.”</p>
<p>Orange felt his breath hitch.</p>
<p>But Purple wasn’t done yet. “Look, I...I didn’t have the luxury of getting attached to other stickfigures until I met you guys, so maybe I can’t give any insight you’d appreciate, but...death is a fact of life in the arena. It’s kill or be killed in there, and if you’re lucky you get to choose.” Purple paused, then ventured “I’m...guessing at least some of the ones you fought chose death, and the ones who didn’t...you can’t hold yourself fully responsible for that. It’s a messed-up situation and you did whatever you could at the time.”</p>
<p>“It’s not...<em>only</em> that,” Orange sighed.</p>
<p>“Then what else?” The crowned stick whined, momentary sympathy fading.</p>
<p>“Purple, any one of them could’ve been you.”</p>
<p>“Yeah?” Purple barked impatiently. And then, “<em>oh.</em>”</p>
<p>“I’ve been thinking,” Orange rushed, “about after League. We-we all thought you were just sulking but...you looked so nervous when you noticed us approaching and I didn’t think further on it at the time but-!”</p>
<p>“If this is leading where I suspect it is,” Purple cut in, “than <em>no</em>, I did <em>not</em> think all of you were about to kill me in retaliation.”</p>
<p>Orange slumped further until he met the cave floor, and he heard Purple’s voice move as the other stick joined him.</p>
<p>“I had a feeling it would never come to that once you chose to leave me to the villagers after...” Their tone sobered. “After I abandoned Green and Blue.”</p>
<p>Orange turned his head a little. The other stick had removed their crown and was turning it absently in their hands.</p>
<p>Purple gave a self-deprecating chuckle. “I <em>did</em> think you guys were about to beat my @$$, though. So, ah, thanks for not. Doing that.”</p>
<p>“Mm,” Orange replied, giving the other a gentle shoulder nudge.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>They sat in silence for a moment.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I don’t think I ever apologized for that,” Purple murmured. “I...I should have cared more than to just leave their survival up to them.”</p>
<p>Purple’s knuckles were clenched pale around their crown.</p>
<p>“...thank you for your honesty,” Orange replied. He made himself smile. “And I’m still not planning to beat your butt over it.”</p>
<p>“Language.”</p>
<p>The smile became a tint more genuine. “You should probably say something to Green and Blue though.”</p>
<p>“<em>Hngah</em>, I was afraid you’d say that.”</p>
<p>“I’m pretty sure Green’s already forgiven you so you could probably get away with a quick ‘sorry for that one time’ and leave it at that. Blue, you might have to grovel for. Just because she isn’t being any meaner than the rest of us doesn’t mean she isn’t nursing a grudge.”</p>
<p>“Sure, sure. Ah, look, I’ve gone and made the conversation about me again.”</p>
<p>Orange shifted. “I think it helped a bit, actually.”</p>
<p>“<em>Oh</em>? Well in <em>that</em> case~”</p>
<p>Orange felt himself laugh for the first time in a while. “Well, if we’re gonna be talking about <em>you</em> to help <em>me</em> feel better, I had a question: why did you make yourself king of the villagers? How did you get to that point?”</p>
<p>Purple sighed, tossing their crown from one hand to the other.</p>
<p>“My whole life, throngs of people only ever paid attention to me if I was...'fighting', and otherwise I was completely alone. I…didn’t know how to handle that extreme an absence once I escaped. When I found my first village and realized no one there was interested in fighting, I started trying to figure out how else I could get that attention.”</p>
<p>They caught the crown on one wrist, swirling it around. “Trading one-on-one wasn’t enough for me, I wanted a full crowd, like…like before. And when I realized that I could influence how they felt about me based on what favors I did for them, what I could give them that they didn’t have the resources to get themselves…in the arena, the outcome for you doesn’t really change whether spectators feel adoration or distain for you, because either way you’re still just a <em>thing</em> to them. But when I had the adoration of the village…it felt <em>good</em>, to be needed.”</p>
<p>Purple’s voice quieted, their motions stilling. “It felt good to be…<em>idolized</em>. And I wanted to live up to how they saw me, because for the first time, it…it seemed to me like a good image for others to have of me. I wasn’t there just to be someone else’s target practice. Anytime I got roughed up was in pursuit of <em>my own</em> ends. I actually <em>had</em> my own ends.”</p>
<p>They fell silent.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Orange pondered, before carefully wondering: “What…did they do, after the dragon left?”</p>
<p>“Oh, they just threw me in the jail until the game updated and their memories collectively retconned again.”</p>
<p>“Why did you even <em>have</em> jail cells?”</p>
<p>Purple cringed. “Not having any felt weird," they said in a small voice. "Please don’t ask me why.”</p>
<p>Their crown hung limply from one hand. Orange put an arm around their back.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Do you have to start over with the villagers every time the game updates?”</p>
<p>“Basically, yeah. Means any mistakes get forgotten, but…”</p>
<p>“…you also have to integrate all over again.”</p>
<p>“…yeah. But it’s still better than being arena fodder.”</p>
<p>Orange looked them over as they fixed the crown back atop their head. The phrase “lonely at the top” sprung to mind. But for someone who had started at the bottom of the food chain, distant admiration probably sounded like heaven.</p>
<p>“Plus, I’ve got you guys now.”</p>
<p>Orange startled out of his thoughts. Darting his head up, he caught Purple’s eye. The other stick grimaced at him a moment, before standing up and opening their arms.</p>
<p>“Orange, you’ve been a friend to me for a while now. Let me be <em>your</em> friend, this once. Goodness knows I need the practice.”</p>
<p>Orange obliged, and allowed himself to let go of what-ifs and cherish the life Purple had been able to craft for themselves.</p>
<p>“Sometimes,” Purple soothed, rubbing his back, “the best thing you can do is remember that its over now.”</p>
<p> </p>
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